This proposal seeks funding in support of the Gordon Research Conference (GRC) on Biomaterials: Biocompatibility and Tissue Engineering to be held July 31 through August 5, 2005 at the Holderness School, Plymouth, New Hampshire. The theme of next year's conference will be on "Spanning the Translational Research Chasm," and will seek to bring together world-renown clinicians, scientists and engineers attempting to understand materials-centered issues in the context of the theme. Our specific aims in assembling this conference are to: 1) Provide a scientific program that focuses on both fundamental phenomena that constrains biomaterial and tissue engineering progress toward clinical adoption (i.e., hurdles of translational research), as well as key areas of biomaterial and tissue engineering research where investigators are engineering solutions to clinical problems with approaches that are novel from both a materials engineering and biological perspective. 2) Bring together a group of speakers that is comprised of widely acknowledged thought leaders as well as young faculty who are notable for the novelty and quality of their work. Combine this group of speakers with dynamic discussion leaders who can provide insightful overviews of the topic areas and orchestrate discussions that draw in the diverse group of attendees. Speakers and discussion leaders will comprise of clinical investigators, engineers, and basic scientists all working in this area of biomaterials and tissue engineering. This group will similarly represent the gender diversity characteristic of the faculty working in the area. 3) Facilitate interaction between junior and underrepresented minority faculty working in the biomaterials and tissue engineering area with prominent senior investigators in the field. A number of leading scientists and engineers from companies working in the biomaterials and tissue engineering area will also be recruited to participate.